Joe DeSantis

Show Count: 67Series Count: 3Role: Old Time Radio StarOld Time RadioBorn: June 15, 1909, New York City, New York, USADied: August 30, 1989, Provo, Utah, USA

Joseph Vito DeSantis(June 15, 1909 - August 30, 1989) was an American radio, television, movie and theatrical actor and sculptor.

Biography

Joe De Santis was born Joseph Vito Marcello De Santis to Italian immigrant parents inNew York City. His father, Pasquale De Santis, was a tailor fromSan Pietro ApostoloinCatanzaro,Italy; his mother, Maria Paoli, emigrated from Gioviano in the province ofLuccainTuscanyand worked in a paper flower factory. He worked his way throughNew York Universitystudyingsculptureanddrama, his first performances being in Italian. After obtaining a part in a play atHunter College, he secured work as an actor for three seasons with theWalter HampdenRepertory Company, which marked the beginning of his performances in the English language. His career in broadcasting began on radio in May 1940 withPepper Young's Familyand continued with major network shows includingMr. District Attorney,The March of Time,Gangbusters, andThe Kate Smith Show. One of his most important contributions to the industry was his narration ofNorman Corwin'sOn a Note of Triumph, broadcast nationwide at the conclusion ofWorld War II. On May 17, 1985, De Santis was inducted into thePacific Pioneer BroadcastersDiamond Circle.During his early years he also did numerous Italian-language broadcasts. He made several contributions to "Remember Radio", a column in one of the trade publications.

With the advent of television, Joe became known as a skilledcharacter actorwho could play convincing dialect characters, mugs, suave heavies and emotional leads. He was active in such earlytelevision seriesasPlayhouse 90,Studio One,Sheriff of Cochise, and he appeared regularly on the programs ofRed Buttons,Martha RayeandSid Caesarshows. In addition to many single performances on other series likeVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Joe had a recurring presence in such shows asThe Untouchables,77 Sunset Strip,Perry Mason,Mission: Impossible, and in thewesternssuch asDaniel Boone,Gunsmoke, andBonanza. One of his choicest moments came while playing a role withFrank Sinatra, a performer whom he greatly admired, on a made-for-TV movie,Contract on Cherry Street. At one point during the filming, Sinatra remarked to De Santis, "You should have played The Godfather." De Santis cherished this comment to the end of his days.

In 1960, De Santis was cast as Juan Cortilla, aMexicanbandit, in the episode "Chicota Landing" of the NBC western series,Riverboat.Richard Chamberlainwas cast asUnited States ArmyLt. Dave Winslow. In the story line, Cortilla is stormed from jail, and Winslow enlists series lead character Grey Holden (Darren McGavin) to transport Cortilla and his men to a military garrison. Instead, Cortilla takes over Holden's vessel, theEnterpriseand its gunpowder.Connie Hinesportrays Lucy Bridges in this episode, andTed de Corsiais cast with De Santis as another bandit.

De Santis played in numerous films; the high point of his career came in 1962 withCold Wind in August. He was also featured inI Want to Live!andThe Brotherhood. De Santis was an active member of the Players' Club in New York City, and the Masquers' Club inLos Angeles,California.

In 1935, De Santis married Miriam Moss, an actress; they had one son and later divorced. In 1949, he marriedMargaret Draper, also an actress, whom he met while both were playing parts on Pepper Young'sFamily. They had one son by this marriage and divorced in 1956, at which time Joe moved to California to pursue his work in television and films. In 1959, he married Wanda Slye who preceded him in death in 1977.

De Santis retired toProvo,Utahin 1978 to be close to family, and resided there until his death in 1989. Along with sculpting, he contributed regularly to the activities of the Provo Eldred Center. He was a heavy smoker for much of his life and suffered from chronic bronchitis and borderline emphysema; he died in 1989 at the age of eighty of chronic obstructive lung disease.

Offbeat Trivia: In the liner notes toFrank Zappa's first album, Freak Out, one finds "These People Have Contributed Materially in Many Ways to Make Our Music What it is. Please Do Not Hold it Against them." De Santis' name is listed along with many others. An explanation for this can be found in an interview[1]with Carl Franzoni, a vocalist for whom the first song on that album, Hungry Freaks, Daddy was written. Franzoni and Zappa were acquainted withVito Paulekas, a sculptor and dancer and the L.A. freak scene guru in the early sixties. Apparently certain movie stars, De Santis included, would come to Vito's studio to sculpt, and somehow something about Joe stuck in Zappa's mind.